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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2004; 52(2): 96-101
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-817844
Original Thoracic

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Lymph Node Staging in Lung Cancer Using [18F]FDG-PET

G. Halter1 , A. K. Buck2 , H. Schirrmeister2 , E. Aksoy1 , F. Liewald1 , G. Glatting2 , B. Neumaier2 , B. Mühling1 , K. Nüssle-Kügele4 , M. Hetzel3 , L. Sunder-Plassmann1 , S. N. Reske2
  • 1Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
  • 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
  • 3Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
  • 4Department of Radiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Received November 19, 2003

Publication Date:
22 April 2004 (online)

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Abstract

Background: Mediastinal lymph node staging is essential to determine treatment options in patients with NSCLC. Positron emission tomography (PET) detects increased glucose uptake in malignant tissue using the glucose analogue 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG). Patients and Methods: In the present study were evaluated 155 patients with focal pulmonary tumors who underwent both preoperative computed tomography (CT) and FDG-PET scanning (116 malignant and 39 benign lesions). Results: Findings in 155 patients included 116 malignant and 39 benign lesions. For N-staging, FDG-PET showed a sensitivity of 88 %, a specificity of 91 %, and an accuracy of 89 %. Corresponding figures for CT were 77 %, 76 %, and 77 %, respectively. Conclusions: FDG-PET is an effective, noninvasive method for staging thoracic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer and is superior to CT scanning in the assessment of hilar and mediastinal nodal metastases. With regard to operability, FDG-PET could differentiate reliable between patients with N1/N2 disease and those with unresectable N3 disease.

Key words

Lung cancer - lymph node staging - FDG-PET

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Dr. med. Gisela Halter

Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery
University of Ulm

Steinhövelstraße 9

89075 Ulm

Germany

Email: gisela.halter@medizin.uni-ulm.de

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